Machine for making resilient batts



Oct. 16, 1951 w. H. BROWNE ,3

MACHINE FOR MAKING RESILIENT BATTS Filed Oct. 24, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR. M/ILL/HM BEflW/Vf Y Oct. 16, 1951 w. H. BROWNE MACHINE FOR MAKING RESILIENT BATTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 24, 1946 Patented Oct. 16, 1951 MACHINE FOR MAKING RESILIENT BATTS WilliamH. Browne, Columbus, Ohio, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Houdaille-Hershey Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 24, 1946, Serial No. 705,277

13 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in a machine for making resilient batts, and more particularly to machines for making resilient batts from fibrous or stranded material, such batts being. highly desirable for use as cushioning means, padding, insulation, filter units for various purposes, and many other uses as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

Batts of the character made in the instant invention are produced in substantially any desirable width, length and thickness, and after being made may be cut very readily to the desired size and shape required for a particular use. Where such a batt is used as a filter medium for fluids, uniform density is a prime requisite for the attainment of the desired emciency.

In the past, many and various devices have been made for the construction of resilient batts. Difllculty has been experienced in producing a resilient batt, especially from standard material,

with the resultant batt both pervious to a fast pects notwithstanding the fact that the same batt will also function as a filter medium.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a machine formaking a resilient batt in a continuous manner, with the batt contlnufed into a continuously moving receiving mechflowing air or fluid stream and also of substantiallv uniform density throughout. Batts of stranded materials have been produced with reasonable economy for use as cushioning means,

insulation, and the like, but in such production it is not essential to have a high degree of uniformity of density, as is required where the flnished batt is utilized as a filter medium. Batts having that uniformity of density have not heretofore been produced economically, and sufliciently economically to warrant the use of sec-v tions of the batt as fllter elements in automotive air cleaners and similar devices, as'well as for anism which determines ultimate batt.

Also a feature of the invention resides in 'the provisionof a machine for making a resilient batt in which a chute of special construction to inthe thickness of the sure uniform delivery is utilized to feed strands I of material to the batt forming location.-

A furtherobject of this invention raides in the provision of a resilient batt making machine in which a continuous batt is formed between traveling belts so arranged as to determine the width and thickness of the batt.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a resilient batt forming machine in which air pressure is relied upon to determine the density of the resultant batt.

Another feature of the instant invention is the provision of a machine for making resilient batts,

in which free strands of material are subjected is relied upon to determine the density of the experienced in the continuous manufacture of a batt of indefinite length, and there was no economical as well as accurate means for controlling the density of the batt during manufacture to the desired degree, especially in rapid manufacture and quantity production.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to provide a machine for making a resilient batt from stranded material, the resultant batt having sufllcient uniformity of density to be used as a fllter medium, if'so desired.

Another object of this invention is the. provision of a machine for making a resilient batt of adequate uniformity of density to warrant its use as a filter medium, but with the machine operating sufliiciently economically to warrant the use of the resultant batt as a cushioning element, as insulation, or in many other commercial asresultant batt.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a machine for making resilient batts of stranded material, in which machine free strands are subjected to the application of a liquefied bonding agent, and a blast of hot air is provided directly through the batt forming mechanism for setting the bonding agent to unite the strands into the batt then being formed.

Still a further feature ofthe invention resides in the provision of a machine for making a resilient batt, the machine embodying fecding means for stranded material and receiving means for the said stranded material, one of these means being oscillatable relatively to the other to insure a uniform distribution of/the material going to make up the batts,

While some of the more salient features, characteristics, and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out,.others will become apparent from the following disclosures. taken conjunction with the accom-.

panying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating component parts of the instant invention together with apparatus that may be associated with the instant machine for a continuous making of a resilient batt; t

Figure 21s a proiectional view of the delivery chute embodied in this invention;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a machine embodying the principles of the instant invention, with parts broken away to better, illustrate the structure therebehind, and parts shown in section;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the structure of Figure 3 taken from the left-hand side of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a plan sectional view through the chute itself taken substantially as indicated by the line V-V of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 6 is a plan sectional view through the batt forming mechanism taken substantially as indicated by the line VI--VI of Figure 4.

As shown in the'drawings:

With the instant invention, a satisfactory batt may be made from any suitable stranded material, such as animal hair, vegetable fiber, plastic strands, and in some instances, metal strands. Animal hair provides a batt which, when used for fluid filierage purposes, provides a filter having an extremely high efficiency and durability. In some cases, animal hair may be prohibitively expensive for commercial use, and in such event a highly satisfactory and extremely economical batt may be produced from vegetable fiber, sisal fiber being very suitable for this purpose.

It will be understood that certain variations in the procedure of making a batt are contingent upon the particular use to-which the batt is ultimately put. For example, if a batt is to be cut into filter units for use in automotive air cleaners, it is necessary that the stranded or fibrous material be fiameproof if it is not inherently so. Obviously, a fiameproofing operation may be dispensed with in the event the batt is ultimately to be used as a cushioning medium or for some other purpose where the danger of fire is non-existent. .When vegetable fiber is used, a hollow fiber, such as sisal, is preferred, especially for the fiameproofing operation since the fiameproofing medium will penetrate a hollow fiber and will not crystallize or cake on the surface of the fiber and then ultimately fiake off during use.

For purposes of clarity, the machine will be described herein as making a batt for the ultimate use as an automotive air cleaning filter unit, and if the batt is desired for other purposes, obvious parts of the manufacturing procedure may be omitted depending upon the ultimate use of the batt. Also, for purposes of clarity, and to aid in more fully understanding the invention, I will first give a brief rsum of the method of making a batt. It should be understood, however, that the method of making a batt is more fully set forth, described and claimed in my co-pending application entitled Method of Making a Resilient Batt, filed August 30, 1946, Serial No. 694,137.

Materials such as sisal fiber may be economically obtained in the form of rolls of sliver. This term is used commercially to denote a bunch of strands or fibers of moderate length, and whenthe supply roll is provided, the ends of one bunch are commingled with the ends of an 4 v adjacent bunch so that an elongated cordlike arrangement that may be wound upon a 'spool is attained.

'With reference now more particularly to Figure 1, assuming for purposes of example that sisal fiber is being used, this fiber l in sliver form .may be fed from a supply roll 2 carried on a suitable cradle 3, over an upper and lower series of next passes through a pair of suitable crimping rolls 6 which crimp, wave, or undulate the fiber. These rolls are preferably heated. The pressure of the rolls will obviously press out some of the moisture in the sliver, and the heat from the rolls will drive out the remainder of the moisture, and at the same time utilize that moisture to steam the crimp in the sliver.

Following the rolls 6 the sliver is permitted to form into a slack loop 1 before it enters a pair of intermittently driven feed rolls 0. The slack loop I compensates for the transfer from the continuously driven crimping rolls 6 to the intermittently driven feed rolls 8. These feed rolls 8 deliver the fiber into a suitable cutting or shearing mechanism diagrammatically shown at 8 which sever the sliver into relatively short lengths. It has been found that lineal lengths of 1 to 1 inches, not counting the undulations or crimps in the strands, are quite satisfactory, although other lengths may be utilized if so desired.

The relatively short cut lengths of fiber pass from the cutting elements 8 onto a suitable conveyor III which feeds these elements into a carding mechanism generally indicated by numeral l I. The carding machine is equipped with a suitable brush I2 which feeds the now separated fibers into a chute generally indicated by numeral ll, which in turn feeds the separated strands into the batt forming mechanism. In order to insure uniform distribution of the strands, it is preferable to have either the chute II or the batt forming mechanism oscillate relatively to the other. In the illustrated instance, the chute l3 is made to oscillate relatively to the batt forming mechanism. Consequently, the chute must be of sufficient length to flatten the are at the lower end thereof sufiiciently to render negligible the effect of the arcuate path of travel upon uniform delivery.

In Figure l, the batt forming mechanism generally indicated by numeral It comprises a pair of confronting belts that will more fully later be described. The batt is formed between these belts which run continuously and the batt itself is bent downwardly from between the belts. Contemporaneously with the entrance of the strands between the belts, they are subjected to the application of a bonding agent through atomizing means, and the air pressure from the atomizing mechanism is utilized to determine the density of the resultant batt. As the batt takes form in the forming mechanism, the bonding agent is set by a hot blast apparatus generally indicated by numeral i5, and which is shown ninety degrees out of its proper location in Figure l. The ultimate batt 'of any desired length, indicated by numeral It, then exits from between the belts of the forming mechanism. The batt may be severed periodically transversely thereacross, if so desired, and these lengths of certain sizes may be I I I carried to another location for cutting the .batt into proper shape.

The finished batt after leaving the forming mechanism is dry and in self-sustaining condition, by virtue of the plastic bonding agent having been set when passing through the area of the hot blast. The batt It may then be fed to a cutting mechanism indicated at I! which. in the illustrated instance, cuts the batt into the form of circular doughnut style filter elements l8 which are shown both in elevation and plan in Figure 1. Such filter elements need no assistance to maintain their shape, but are self-sustaining, of uniform density, and highly efficient.

With reference now particularly to Figures 3 and 4,- it will be seen that the illustrated embodiment of the instant invention includes a fabricated frame structure 19 upon which a superstructure may be mounted. This superstructure carries the aforesaid carding machine, generally indicated by numeral II, 'and which may be a standard Gamett machine. The aforesaid conveyor .lli feeds the relatively short crimped sections of fiber i into the carding machine. This machine ingeneral includes a main toothed roll carried on a shaft 2| and which rotates counterclockwise as the structure is seen in Figure 3. Associated with this roll, not visible in the drawings, is a series of worker and stripper rollers 22, and as seen in Figure 3 these stripper rollers have teeth extending in opposite directions, that is, the teeth on the first and third rollers extend or incline in the same direction, while the teeth on the second and fourth rollers incline in the oppofltedirection. All of these stripper rollers, however, rotate in thesame direction, and in the instance-of the showing in Figure 3, that direction would be clockwise, or opposite to the direction of rotation of the main large roller. In a housing portion 23 the aforesaid feeding brush, which is a relatively long fibered wire rotary brush, is located so as to brush the now separated relatively short fiber lengths into the aforesaid chute ll.

The drive for the carding machine or mechanism includes a motor 24 which may operate a pulley wheel 25, which in turn operates a pulley 26 on the aforesaid shaft II. A second pulley 21 on that shaft 2| may be connected by crossed belt 28 to the shaft 29 of the delivery brush so that that brush will rotate oppositely to the main carding wheel on the shaft 2|. side of the machine, a geantrain arrangement,

generally indicated by numeral 30, is used to drive,

the worker and stripper rolls 22 at a considerably lower speed.

r The aforesaid chute II which receives the fiber from the brush in housing 23 is pivoted near the top as at 3| to the frame. At a lower point, the

,chute is provided with a projection 82 on each side thereof which engages an arcuate leaf spring I! connected tothe frame. These leaf springs tend to urge the chute into the outward position seen in Figure 3. Near the lower end thereof the chute is provided with a projecting rod 34 which acts as a cam rider and bears against a heart shaped cam 35. This cam may be continuously driven by a suitable motor 36 mounted on the frame It through a belt 31 trained over a pulley I! on the shaft of the cam. A heart-shaped cam is preferable so as to insure uniformity of movementof the chute throughout its travel in either direction. Both the match at one side of the cam and the apex on the opposite side will cause an almost instantaneous reversal of movement of On the opposite the chute as it pivots about the pin 3|. Consequently, the chute will move backward and forward at the same uniform speed throughout its distance of travel as determined by the size of the cam t5.

The chute I3 is intended to deliver the separated fibers uniformly to the batt forming location; Accordingly, the construction of this chute is somewhat important since it has been found that the configuration of the chute is a strong influence in determining the manner in which the fibers will be distributed. In order to have the cross-section of the resultant batt of regular rectangular shape, the fibers must be distributed uniformly from the lower end of the chute.

' It has been found that this may be'achieved instance, this sharply tapered portion which may be designated 39 is in the upper part of the chute. The construction of the lower portion 40 of the chute is not as critical as that of the sharply tapered portion. Looking at the chute in one di rection, in Figure 3, it will be seen that the chute tapers uniformly from top to bottom including both the upper portion 39 and the lower portion 40, while looking at the chute from the adjacent side, or 90 degrees from the showing in Figure 3, as the chute is pictured in Figur'e 4, the opposite walls of the part 39 taper sharply, while the opposite walls of the part 40 may be parallel.

By way of example and not by way of limitation, a satisfactory chute may be one in which the ratio of a longer top edge II to the bottom edge I! of the same side of the chute (Figure 2) would be in the range between approximately 9 to 2 and 9 to 4.5 when the angle of taper, indicated by numeral 43, lies within the range of to 75 degrees. The length of the shorter side edge 44 at the top of the chute is not critical, it being required only that this dimension be large enough to insure that all fibers supplied to the chute are collected'within it. When the chute oscillates, the direction of motion is parallel to the side edge 44.

It should also be noted that the lower portion of the chute during its oscillation.

Uniform distribution of the fiber strands results from a "chute of this character by virtue of the fact that the small lengths of separated strands rebound from the sloping walls of the portion 39 toward the center, rather than bunching up and sliding along these walls. For example, if the chute were straight, that is, with all walls parallel throughout, the fibers would be denser near the center of the chute than along the walls and the resultant batt would be high in the middle. Conversely, if the chute were uniformly tapered throughout, the fibers would collect along the walls of the chute, and the strand density in the center of the chute would be less than that along the walls, so that the resultant batt would have a drop in the central portion. Uniform distribution is insured, however, by providing a chute having a portion thereof tapering at such an angle that the fibers will rebound from the tapering portion toward the center of bottom 'ratherthan at the top without any change in the uniform distribution of the strands or fibers. However, for use in a machine of the character shown in Figures 3 and 4, a chute of the character shown in Figure 2 is more feasible and economical.

As stated above, the chute I! discharges the separated fibers between a pair of endless belts l and I. having inside confronting reaches. These belts operate between inside and outside panels 51 and ll respectively, as best seen in Figure 6. Each belt passes over an upper driven pulley 4! and a lower idler pulley 50. On the inside reach. however, the belt passes over a pair of idlers BI and i2 spaced apart to provide an inwardly extending portion of the belt. The belts parallel each other between the respective idlers II and I1. Consequently, as seen best in Figure 4, the

.belts with their inside reaches moving downwardly first converge to some extent, then follow a parallel path, and then diverge. The confronting reaches that are parallel to each other, determine the thickness of the resultant batt 53 as the batt is formed between the belts.

The belts 45 and 4B are preferably continuously driven, after they have been stopped long enough at-the start of operation to build up a portion of the batt therebetween, by means of a suitable motor 54 (Figure 3) and a pulley drive mechanism ll. From the shaft of the roll or pulley 49 of one belt, a transfer .may be made in the drive to the corresponding roll or pulley of the other belt as indicated at 5B, Figure 3. The belts 45 and If between which the batt is formed are preferably made of a relatively coarse open weave material of the character of the commonly known burlap, and they are preferably coated with palm oil or the equivalent to prevent plastic treated fibers from sticking to the belts in passing. The oil need not of necessity be palm oil, but may be some oil that is not hurt or adversely affected by the solvent in the particular plastic used as a bonding agent for the fibers.

Contemporaneously with the time the fibers are delivered between the belts l5 and I6, liquefied plastic is atomized and directed upon the fibers being delivered from the chute 13. In the illustrated instance, the chute [3 near the lower end thereof carries a pair of plastic nozzles 51 connected by suitable conduit means 58 to a container 59 for the liquefied plastic. Preferably the container is in a location above the nozzle so that the plastic may feed by gravity. Suitable plastics for this purpose are those known to the trade as Geon and Vinylite. These have proven satisfactory, but obviously other plastics may be used. Immediately in front of the nozzles 51-41, is a pair of air nozzles 60 which may be connected through conduit means 6| to any suitable source of compressed air. The nozzles 6|! are so arranged with respect to the nozzles 51 as to atomize the plastic at the time it is delivered. Consequently, atomized plastic is blown upon the fibers as they are delivered between the belts l5 and 4-6. With the instant invention, a double use is made of the air pressure. That air pressure not only serves to atomize the liquid plastic and better distribute it over the crimped fibers, but the air pressure is also relied upon to pack the fibers to the desired batt density. It will be noted that as the chute l3 oscillates back and forth, the atomized plastic is directed downward so as to bear upon the fibers just received between 45 and 46. Depending upon the air pressure, these fibers will be packed against each other, so that by varying the air pressure, the ultimate density of the batt may likewise be varied at will but the density will remain uniform throughout the batt. By virtue of the applied plastic, the fibers will adhere to each other at points of contact, and by virtue of the crimped or undulated fiber lengths, adjacent fibers will not adhere throughout their length to each other.

Suitable divergent wings '2 maybe disposed about the space between the belts at their upper end to make sure that plastic is not sprayed elsewhere but upon the fibers.

It is, of course. necessary to set the plastic bonding agent, and in the illustrated instance, this is accomplished by means of a hot blast. The belts pass through a conduit arrangement II near their lower endsa Through this conduit a blower fan contained within a housing N is connected so as to draw air at reasonable speed not only through the conduit, but directly through the belts 45 and 4! and the batt 'being formed therebetween. As indicated. diagrammatically in Figure 4, an electric heating element 65 may be disposed in the conduit to heat the air passing therethrough, this element being connected to any suitable source of electrical energy.

As an additional protection to-the operator, an upstanding tube 88 is connected into the conduit G3 and at the upper end of this tube a hood .61 is formed so that this tube will aspirate plasti-c fumes and cause them to be carried away by the blower fan. In some instances, plastic that may be used as a bonding agent might have a toxic effect on an operator if too much of it is breathed. Consequently it is deemed safer to utilize the hood and aspiration arrangement to eliminate such fumes.

In operation the instant invention is relatively simple but highly effective in the production of an economical resilient batt of uniform density. The crimped shortbunches of fiber travel up the conveyor l0 through the carding mechanism, and separated individual fibers are brushed into the chute 13. As explained above, these fibers bounce toward the center from the tapering walls of the upper partof the chute so that a uniform distribution of fibers emanates from the lower end of the chute. The chute moves backward and forward at a uniform rate of speed in both directions, and neatly and evenly distributes the fibers between the travelling belts l5 and 40. Contemporaneously with the delivery of the separated fibers between the belts, these fibers are sprayed with an atomized liquid plastic solution, and the air pressure associated with the spraying means determines the density of the ultimate batt. Of course, upon the application of the plastic, the batt continually takes physical united form, the fibers adhering to one another at points of contact as they pass down between the inside confronting reaches of the belts in the form of a batt 53. In the lower end of the belt the bonding agent is definitely set by the blast of hot air so that the batt 53 emanates from the lower end of the belts as indicated in Figure 4 in finished condition. The batt may be made of any desired length. Variations in width may be had by using a wider set of belts l5 and 46, variations in thickness may be made by varying the distances between the inner reaches of these belts, and variations in density may be effected by varying the air pressure associated with the liquid plastic supply nozzles. It should also be understood that if so desired the belts and 46 to resort to more expensive manufacture in order to obtain a batt for filtering purposes than would be necessary in order to obtain a batt for cushioning purposes. When completed, the batt will be self-sustaining, resilient in character, and of uniform density. The resultant batt may be .shaped as desired by cutting it to the proper size.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the Purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine for making resilient batts, a

conveyor for feeding stranded material, means for carding said material to separate the strands, an upright chute to receive the strands from said carding means and through which the strands may gravitate, movable means to receive the strands from said chute, atomizing means to spray a bonding agent on the strands as they are delivered to said moving means, and heating means to set the bonding agent, said atomizing means being directed upon the delivered strands to in effect continuously add to the rear end of the batt and with sufllcient pressure to compact them to the desired batt density.

2. In a machine for making resilient batts from which filter elements may be cut, movable receiving means, means to deliver strands of material to said receiving means in a direction lengthwise of the batts being formed and while said receiving means are-in motion, and atomizing means directed toward received strands to both deliver a bonding agent and compact the strands to the desired density in said receiving means, said receiving means being pervious to air, and means to pass a hot blast through said receiving means to set the bonding agent.

3. In a machine for making a resilient batt from strands of material, carding means to separate strands, receiving means in which a batt is formed, said means being of such size as to determine'the width and thickness of the resultant batt, a chute positioned to receive strands from the carding means and deliver them to the receiving means, and means to oscillate said chute about its upper end relatively to said receiving means, said chute being of sumcient length to materially flatten the are described by the delivery end of the chute.

4. In a machine for making a resilient batt from strands of material, carding means to sepmay be mounted on a carriage which may be fibrous material from which filter elements may arate strands, receiving means in which a batt from thecarding means and deliver them to the receiving means, and means to oscillate said chute aboutits upper end relatively to said receiving means, said chute being of sufficient of said chute at uniform speed in each direction.

5. In a machine for making resilient. batts from strands of material, a pair of belts having confronting parallel reaches for movement in the same direction, feeding means to deliver strands of material directly into the space between said belts to be formed into a continuous batt, and spraying means to apply a bonding agent to said strands as they are delivered, said belts bein pervious to air, and heating means to apply a blast of heated air through said belts and'the batt being formed therebetween to set said bonding agent.

6. In a machine for making resilient batts from strands of material, a pair of belts having confronting parallel reaches for movement in the same direction, feeding means to deliver strands of material directly into the space between said belts to be formed into a continuous batt, and spraying means to apply a bonding agent to said strands as they are delivered, and heating means adjacent the line of travel of said belts to apply heat and set the bonding agent in the batt being formed."

7. In a machine for making resilient batts of fibrous material from which filter elements may be cut, a pair of belts having confronting parallel reaches and between which the batt is formed, means for driving said belts at the same speed, said belts by their spacing determining the thickness of the resultant batt, and an oscillating chute to deliver strands of batt forming material between said belts, said chute oscillating transversely of the belts over the spacepbetween the belts to continuously add to the entire rear end of the batt being formed.

8. In a machine for making resilient batts of be cut, a pair of belts having confronting parallel reaches and between which the batt is formed, means for driving said belts at the same speed, and an oscillating chute to deliver strands of batt forming material between said belts, said chute oscillating over the opening between said belts in a manner to continually add strands to the rear end of the batt being formed over the entire depth and width thereof.

9. In a machine for making resilient batts of fibrous material from which filter elements may be cut, a pair of belts having confronting parallel reaches and between which the batt is formed, means for driving said belts at the same speed, an oscillating chute to deliver strands of batt forming material between said belts, said cnute oscillating over the opening between said belts in a manner to continually add strands to the rear end of the batt being formed over the entire depth and width thereof, and an air pressure spraying means to apply a bonding agent to the strands as they are delivered from said chute,'said belts compressing the batt being formed to the desired thickness, and said spraying means by virtue of the air pressure compacting the batt lengthwise thereof to the desired density.

10. In a machine for making. resilient batts of fibrous material from which filter elements may be cut, a pair of vertically disposed traveling belts having confronting reaches spaced apart to the desired thickness of the resultant batt, said belts being substantially the width of the resultant batt, a delivery chute for batt forming I of to the desired density.

11. In a machine for making resilient batts, carding means to separate strands of resilient batt forming material, receiving means in which a batt is formed, and a chute between said cardingmeans and said receiving means constructed to uniformly distribute the strands of batt forming material from said carding means to said receiving means, said chute consisting of an elongate tube having rigid side walls and having an inlet on one end thereof coaxially aligned with an outlet on the other end thereof, said side walls forming a substantially straight section for a portion of the length of said chute and having a tapered section formed by coextensively inclined wall portions converging toward said outlet, said tapered portion converging symmetrically inwardly with respect to the common axis extending through said inlet and said outlet with the ratio between the wider and narrower ends of said tapered portion between the ratios of 9 to 2 and 9 to 4.5 and the angle oftaper of said tapered portion being between 65 and 75, said tapered section operative to change the direction ing through said chute from said inlet to said outlet to insure uniform distribution of fibers from said outlet.

12. In a batt making machine of the type wherein a loose mass comprising separated strands of material is formed into a conglomerate mass comprising a batt, the improvement of a delivery chute constructed to uniformly distribute strands of fibers and adapted to deliver the strands of batt forming material to a receiving means, said delivery chute consisting of an elongate rigid tube, an inlet at one end of said tube and an outlet at the other end of said tube, said inlet and said outlet being on a common axis extending through said tube, said tube having side walls forming a straight section along a portion of the length thereof and forming a 12 said tapered section including coextensively inclined wall portions converging symmetrically toward the outlet end of said tube relative to said common axis with the ratio between the wider and narrower ends of said tapered portion being, between 9 to 2 and 9 to 4.5 and the angle of taper beingbetween 65 and 75, said tapered section arranged to change the direction of flow of strands of batt forming material from said inlet to said outlet to insure uniform distribution of fibers from said outlet.

13. An improved delivery chute for a batt making machine consisting of an elongate rigid tube, an inlet at one end of said tube and an outlet at the other end of said tube, said inlet and said outlet being on a common axis extending forming a straight section along a portion of the length thereof and forming a tapered secof flow of strands of batt forming material passtion along the rest of the length thereof, said tapered section including coextensively inclined wall portions convergin symmetrically toward the outlet end of said tube relative in said common axis with the ratio between the wider and narrower ends of said tapered portion being between 9 to 2 and 9 to 4.5 and the angle of taper being between 65 and 75, said tapered portion arranged to change the direction of flow of strands of batt forming material passing through said chute from said inlet to said outlet to insutre uniform distribution of fibers from said out- WILLIAM H. BROWNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references 'are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED s'ra'rss PATENTS Number Name Date D. 25,415 Hotchkiss April 21. 1896 2,195,158 watts Mar. 26, 1940 2,282,477 Joa May 12, 1942 2,288,095 Lindsay et a1. June 30. 1942 2,373,077 Kleist Apr. 3, 1945 2,479,911 Delloye Aug. 23, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,245 Australia July 25, 1934 450,689 Great Britain July 23. 1936 460,120 Great Britain Jan. 21, 1937 

